Indonesia, the United States and more than a dozen allies launched annual joint military exercises on Aug. 31 to boost defense capabilities and “deter aggression” in the Asia-Pacific region.

The exercises, which have been held for nearly two decades, will include special forces infiltration training and cyberdefence drills.

Indonesia maintains a neutral foreign policy, what it calls "free and active," as it walks a diplomatic tightrope seeking good relations with both Washington and Beijing.